To wonder how people are coping?

[CobbleWobble]

We are very lucky, I know this.

We are "Mumsnet rich" both have professional jobs with good salaries (£170k household income) and yet this last 12 months:

• removed children from private school
• changed how we do the weekly shop to reduce costs
• cut subscriptions (like Disney+ etc)
• reduced what I bought in the back to school shop
• decided against a holiday in October half term
• concerned about our usual Christmas food order

What is going on? I just don't understand why or how prices are rising as they are or how people on less than us are coping!

I'm extremely grateful we have the things to cut that we have but we've also had to remortgage this year which has doubled our mortgage payments and then our utilities have increased and the food shop has just got insane.

We have other things we can cut - a holiday in the UK, Netflix, the monthly takeaway but its just miserable to think we may need to do that just not to be living.

Happy to post spending particulars if people are finding it hard to see where I'm coming from.

So AIBU to think that as a country we cannot go on with prices rising like this? How are others coping?

Our monthly net income is £10k so earning less than you and both sons in private school still. Not quite sure how you can’t manage (honestly - not intended as a dig) and we go on holiday - but you can do things cheaply

You have more a month than us by £3k.

It’s your childcare that’s the big one really isnt it. Is it worth him pumping even more into pension to get the 20% tax free childcare?

How old are your kids? I also do 32 hours but for it around the school run. 6 hours (no lunch) 4 days a week, then 1 longer 8 hour day. That way we don’t spend a fortune on childcare and I can see the kids more.

I think it depends on circumstances. We rent and have 2 children using childcare

My household income is less than a quarter of yours and we're coping fine. But I guess I have a modest mortgage and am not a fan of Disney.

If you live in London or home counties and have a big mortgage then thats the killer! I think many people are genuinely struggling and dont have 170k income.You need to maybe downsize or similar.How much do you have at Christmas FFS?

I don't have kids and I get that they are expensive - but you are living on 7k a month. If you aren't coping on this you need to get some proper advice from step change or CAB. I currently live on 1.4k a month. Until last year I was living on 400 pounds a month. You don't need holidays if you are feeling the pinch so much. You need to cut back on everything you can - and consider selling up if your mortgage is crippling you

@Roobarbtwo I have always bought yellow
sticker items and my parents did but the savings are generally rubbish compared to what they used to be. Why is pointing that out sarcastic?!

I have to confess, I have no idea what “Mumsnet rich” even means, but I agree you are extremely well off. I earn so little that I don’t have to pay tax each year so you can work it out. I don’t have a mortgage, but I have all the other bills; the running of a car; food and clothing to buy and it’s a massive struggle, but I do it. I’m not really sure whether to take your post seriously or whether to be offended by it if I’m brutally honest.

I don't think DH can put more in to his pension and it "count" to bring him under the threshold.

I also can't fit my work around the school run and neither can DH, I genuinely surprised some companies do as I don't know anyone who is able to do that.

We are living on a pittance compared to the op and we have Disney plus and Amazon prime.
Our struggles are food, constantly going
up. I’m batch cooking and reducing what the adults have to eat. It’s just getting worse!
Extras, we have the above subscription services. We don’t drink alcohol, we
dont smoke, we have pets, we don’t have days out. We walk the dog and have picnics.
No holiday this year. Christmas will be a struggle. Kids do one extra curricular each.
We are actually really fed up and both looking for better work and only the last few months have we actually felt poor.

That’s the big question which we haven’t cracked yet - the worry is that productivity is actually declining in UK. Traditional methodology is: reduce red tape (part of brexit theory but it was never realised and actually increased for anyone that trades with EU); relax planning rules (something this govt wants to do but so far hasn’t managed and which most agree with right up to the point they are impacted in their town) but it massively moves the dial for industry and house building; invest in infrastructure (which we are terrible at - partly due to supremely difficult planning rules and red tape) - we can’t even get a 3rd runway at Heathrow or a second one at Gatwick FFS - literally every airport should get permission for more runways - china built 20 new airports in 2023 and we can’t even get planning permission for a runway for 40 years), To put the current two runways at Heathrow into perspective Charles de Gaul (Paris) and Amsterdam airport have 6 each!). Cut waiting lists at hospitals - it is a major drag on the economy and productivity having unfit/unwell people. Finally, work has to pay more than sitting at home. People can’t stack benefits and get more household income than a working family - just crazy economics and a drag on national wealth having those capable of work sitting at home claiming benefits. But so much easier said than done I guess!

Yep, I can't see it ever sorting itself out tbh.

We are only on about 35K and have a 1K mortgage, Disney, a holiday each year and several horses! Yes we are living only just within our means and can't save anything, but I would feel rich beyond my wildest dreams on 170K!

I don’t think OP was looking for sympathy or advice on how to cut costs. She was saying that if a household with that jncome is having to make cutbacks then wtf is the majority of the country having to deal with?!! It was more shock and horror at how bad it must be for the average person. She isn’t saying “gosh we might not be able to afford a Waitrose shop at this Xmas, poor us!!!” She seemed genuinely worried for the state of the country. At least that’s how I read it.

@Crazyhorselady1 I know right, we are on about 29k roughly. If we can get to 35k I think we could live a bit better and at least get a holiday. That’s the only thing bothers me really, I want to give my kids holidays.

On a side note. Get rid of Disney they're complicit in the suppression of free speech in USA...see Jimmy Kimmel. If you're UK based , this is the same crap that will come this way in time Farage if he gets in is a puppet of the trump regime, so act now.

OP people will struggle to empathise with you here. When you have money, I have found you begin to normalise not matter how much.

It is only when you step into other peoples life a bit for a short time that on the return you can appreciate again the luxury.

Probably your life has inflated along with income and it feels normal now. Go and spend some time somewhere for a bit and you’ll soon seen what can be cut back.

I do however agree that living costs are horrendous, I was having the same conversation with my dh this week. We are not impacted by the rising costs other than having to spend more, however I feel quite irritated that I have no control over say the cost of food. Whereas I do get to control other things we choose to do. I don’t want to spend x amount on the same thing I bought for half the cost months ago to line the pockets of the retail stores.

And yes the mortgage is pretty large, but it’s only 750 more than my rent. And I’m on less than 1/3 of their household income. I do get by but I have to claim UC for the first time in my life. I shouldn’t have to. My salary isn’t low. I should earn enough to support me and my kids, but the rent, the price of food, utilities…. Everything is 3 times more than it used to be. And yet my salary, despite promotions, has not kept up!

THANK YOU

That is exactly how I intended it!

I think you've been given a really rough time on this thread, op. Sorry you had to change schools, that must have been very difficult.

‘High end’ cars are a very gauche way of spending money. You don’t get many ‘high end’ cars in the local Waitrose carpark.

Are you actually serious!? Our household income is a 3rd of yours, no additional benefits etc before you ask and we manage a disney + subscription and Netflix!

O Jesus's this country is seriously tucked if people can't manage on the money you earn OP.

There's something going on there isn't there? Coz I earn a fraction of what you earn and I have 3 kids... and I'm still going on a little uk holiday in half term, the next half term weve even got a holiday bookes abroad though tbf we didnt go abroad in the summer... and I've got netflix and prime. I'm not worried about Christmas (granted i always get the christmas food shop from Lidl not anywhere fancy) ... or the mortgage, or getting an occasional takeaway
Do you live in a castle or something?
It must be your house that's hemorrhaging money that's all I can think of.
Yeah prices have gone up slightly but they haven't really effected our family much.. and as I said we earn a tiny fraction of what you earn.. neither of us break 100k separately or combined!!